Search Results (295)

Agricultural expansion is a major driver of biodiversity loss in tropical regions, yet human-dominated landscapes also hold potential for biodiversity conservation when managed as multifunctional mosaics that retain patches of native vegetation. We assessed how natural and semi-natural habitats contribute to avian diversity in a tropical livestock farm in northern Costa Rica. Over one year, bird assemblages were sampled across three habitat types (live fences, pastures and riparian forest) at La Balsa farm. Using point counts surveyed every month during the year, we recorded 165 bird species, including 20 migratory and 6 species of global conservation concern, and 4 regionally endemic species. Species richness and overall abundance were lower in the riparian forest compared to live fences and pastures, and bird assemblage composition differed markedly among habitats, with the community in the riparian forest exhibiting a distinct assemblage structure. These results indicate that though the riparian forest hosts fewer species and individuals, it harbors a characteristic bird assemblage, highlighting its irreplaceable ecological role in providing habitat to forest-dependent species. Overall, the findings underscore that structurally diverse agricultural mosaics can sustain remarkably high bird diversity when complemented by habitats including native vegetation. Full article

In struggling against invasive species ravaging riverscape ecosystems, gaps in dispersal pathway knowledge and fragmented approaches across scales have long stalled effective riparian management worldwide. To reduce these limitations and enhance invasion management strategies, selecting appropriate alien species as models for in-depth pathway analysis is essential. Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. (alligator weed) emerges as an exemplary model species, boasting an invasion record of around 120 years spanning five continents worldwide, supported by genetic evidence of repeated introductions. In addition, the clonal reproduction of A. philoxeroides supports swift establishment, while its amphibious versatility allows occupation of varied riparian environments, with spread driven by natural water-mediated dispersal (hydrochory) and human-related vectors at multiple scales. Thus, leveraging A. philoxeroides, this review proposes a comprehensive multi-scale framework, which integrates monitoring with remote sensing, environmental DNA, Internet of Things, and crowdsourcing for real-time detection. Also, the framework can further integrate, e.g., MaxEnt (Maximum Entropy Model) for climatic suitability and mechanistic simulations of hydrodynamics and human-mediated dispersal to forecast invasion risks. Furthermore, decision-support systems developed from the framework can optimize controls like herbicides and biocontrol, managing uncertainties adaptively. At the global scale, the dispersal paradigm can employ AI-driven knowledge graphs for genetic attribution, multilayer networks, and causal inference to trace pathways and identify disruptions. Based on the premise that our multi-scale framework can bridge invasion ecology with riverscape management using A. philoxeroides as a model, we contend that the implementation of the proposed framework tackles core challenges, such as sampling biases, shifting environmental dynamics, eco–evolutionary interactions using stratified sampling, and adaptive online algorithms. This methodology is purposed to offer scalable tools for other aquatic invasives, evolving management from reactive measures to proactive, network-based approaches that effectively interrupt dispersal routes. Full article

Horse flies (Tabanidae) negatively affect livestock by reducing productivity, compromising animal welfare, and serving as mechanical vectors of pathogens. However, the spatial processes shaping their community organization in southern Brazil’s Coastal Plain of Rio Grande do Sul (CPRS) remain poorly understood. To address this, we conducted standardized Malaise-trap surveys and combined them with historical–contemporary comparisons to examine distance–decay patterns in community composition. We evaluated both abundance-based (Bray–Curtis) and presence–absence (Jaccard) dissimilarities using candidate models. Across sites, Tabanus triangulum emerged as the dominant species. Dissimilarity in community structure increased monotonically with geographic distance, with no evidence of abrupt thresholds. The square-root model provided the best fit for abundance-based data, whereas a linear model best described presence–absence patterns, reflecting dispersal limitation and environmental filtering across a heterogeneous coastal landscape. Sites within riparian forests and conservation units displayed higher diversity, emphasizing the ecological role of protected habitats and the importance of maintaining connected corridors. Collectively, these findings establish a process-based framework for surveillance and landscape management strategies to mitigate vector, host contact. Future directions include integrating remote sensing and host distribution, applying predictive validation across temporal scales. Full article

Cross-ecosystem transmission of plant pathogens from crops to natural forests is increasingly recognized as a key factor in disease emergence and biodiversity loss. Agricultural systems serve as major sources of inoculum, with landscape interfaces—such as crop–forest edges, riparian zones, abandoned orchards, and nursery–wildland transitions—acting as active epidemiological gateways. Biological vectors, abiotic dispersal, and human activities collectively enable pathogen movement across these boundaries. Host-range expansion, recombination, and hybridization allow pathogens to infect both cultivated and wild hosts, leading to generalist and recombinant lineages that survive across diverse habitats. In natural ecosystems, such introductions can alter community composition, decrease resilience, and intensify the impacts of climate-driven stress. Advances in molecular diagnostics, genomic surveillance, environmental DNA, and remote sensing–GIS (Geographic Information System) approaches now enable high-resolution detection of pathogen flow across landscapes. Incorporating these tools into interface-focused monitoring frameworks offers a pathway to earlier detection, better risk assessment, and more effective mitigation. A One Health, landscape-based approach that treats agro–wild interfaces as key control points is essential for reducing spillover risk and safeguarding both agricultural productivity and the health of natural forest ecosystems. Full article

Understanding the variations in twig and leaf morphologies and photosynthetic physiological characteristics of riparian forest plants in heterogeneous habitats is of great significance for revealing their phenotypic plasticity mechanisms and ecological adaptation strategies. In this study, the riparian forest plant Periploca sepium Bunge was selected as the research object. According to the canopy light environment experienced by the P. sepium population, three habitats were established: under-canopy, gap, and full-sun areas. We studied the twig and leaf morphological and photosynthetic characteristics of P. sepium under heterogeneous light environments, as well as the relationships between these two aspects. Plants in the under-canopy area developed long and thick twigs with few large leaves, coupled with high actual photosynthetic efficiency of photosystem II (Y(II)) and low non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), whereas those in the full-sun area exhibited the opposite covariation strategy. Significant correlations between twig and leaf morphologies and photosynthetic physiological characteristics were found across all habitats. The coordinated variations in twig and leaf morphologies and photosynthetic physiology of P. sepium embody a resource investment trade-off strategy that plants have evolved through long-term adaptation to heterogeneous light environments. Full article

The aim of this article is to illustrate the actions taken to implement the Rio Capodacqua–Santa Croce River Contract in Central Italy. The aim was to develop this inclusive and voluntary strategic and negotiated planning tool with the aim of protecting and managing water resources, enhancing the river ecosystem and mitigating flood risk, thereby contributing to local development. The participation of municipalities, local authorities, stakeholders and citizens’ associations in this instrument has made it possible to identify the environmental and territorial issues in this area and thus propose actions to resolve them, integrating and coordinating existing plans and programmes and the interests of that territory. These actions were defined through a participatory process involving all those interested in the watercourse and the territory it crosses. Among the proposed actions, priority was given to those offering “sustainable” solutions to certain critical issues, such as pollution of the lower reaches of the river or the essentially anthropogenic threat to the river and riparian habitats widespread in its upper reaches. These habitats, protected by the Natura 2000 network, are home to fish species of great conservation interest, among other things. Finally, flood mitigation works and measures are assessed, as floods are becoming increasingly aggressive due to climate change and are impacting urbanised areas. All these actions have been compared with sustainability objectives to highlight their effectiveness in the current management of a river basin with a view to the future. Full article

Rapid human population growth accelerates biodiversity loss through urban habitat fragmentation, yet ecologically informed urban planning can mitigate these effects. This study evaluates whether and how vegetation characteristics, as captured by Earth observation data varies across forest habitats in a small Mediterranean city in Italy. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI), and Land Surface Temperature (LST) for the Functional Urban Area of Campobasso were derived from multitemporal Landsat 8 imagery (2020–2023) acquired during the growing season and combined with elevation data to account for topographic gradients. Different forest habitats were identified using the regional coeval Carta della Natura (Map of Nature) and were sampled by a random stratified strategy yielding more than 900,000 observations. A linear mixed-effects model was used to model NDVI as a function of NDMI, LST, elevation, and habitat type, while accounting for temporal and spatial dependencies. The model explained a large proportion of NDVI variability (marginal R² = 0.75; conditional R² = 0.85), with NDMI emerging as the strongest predictor, followed by weaker effects of LST and elevation. Habitat differences were also evident: oak-dominated forests (i.e., Quercus frainetto, Q. cerris, and Q. pubescens dominated habitats) exhibited the highest NDVI values, while coniferous plantations (i.e., Pinus nigra dominated habitat) had the lowest; forests dominated by Robinia pseudoacacia and riparian Salix alba showed intermediate vegetation greenness values. These results highlight the ecological importance of oak forests in Mediterranean urban landscapes and demonstrate the value of satellite-based monitoring for capturing habitat variability. The reproducible workflow applied here provides a scalable tool to support habitat conservation and planning in urban environments, also accounting for impending climate change scenarios. Full article

Herein, we present a systematic investigation of plant fossils from the Yingzuilazi Formation in Baishan City, Jilin Province, China. The Baishan flora comprises 27 genera and 46 species. They are predominantly autochthonous or parautochthonous, based on their floral composition and taphonomic attributes. An analysis of paleoecological characteristics of the fossil plant assemblages, combined with the habitat preferences of analogous modern communities, allowed us to reconstruct the Early Cretaceous plant communities in the Baishan Basin: a riparian–wetland community, lowland community, montane slope community, and montane highland community. The floral composition, a statistical analysis of foliar physiognomy, and the palynofloral characteristics indicated a warm and humid temperate climate during the deposition of the Yingzuilazi Formation. A genus-level comparison with the Yixian Formation flora of western Liaoning revealed high compositional similarity, which confirms the Baishan flora as the easternmost distribution of the Jehol Biota in China. This study provides new fossil evidence for understanding Early Cretaceous floristic provincialism and paleoenvironmental reconstruction in East Asia. It offers geological references that can predict vegetation responses to a greenhouse climate. Additionally, Sphenopsida and Filicopsida may serve as potential indicators that may identify favorable terrestrial shale oil and gas reservoirs from the Early Cretaceous. Full article

Urban streams are subjected to a variety of impacts from stormwater runoff, channelization, routing through culverts, and highly modified riparian zones, all of which can have negative effects on stream habitats and resident fish communities. Coldwater trout streams in urban areas may be especially impacted due to their normally low fish diversity and the higher intolerance of those species to such factors as stream temperature, dissolved oxygen concentrations, and water chemistry. Fish communities were examined at two sites in each of four coldwater trout streams in southeastern Minnesota USA: one site within the residential/commercial areas of a city and one site outside of the city limits in rural (agricultural) areas. Fish were surveyed (all fish counted and identified) in representative 150 to 200 m sections at each stream site with a backpack electrofisher. Data were used to produce Simpson and Shannon diversity indices, taxa richness values, a coldwater index of biotic integrity (IBI) score and rating for each site, and an NMDS plot using fish communities to compare between urban and rural stream sections. Overall, fish representing 17 different species and 11 families were found at the sites examined. Brown trout (Salmo trutta) comprised 65% of the total catch and was the only species collected at every site. Average fish species richness was nearly three times higher at urban sites than at rural sites, and Simpson and Shannon diversities were also significantly (four to five times) higher at urban compared to rural sites. However, coldwater IBI scores were significantly higher at rural (average = 93, good rating) than at urban (average score = 59, a fair rating) sites, indicating better coldwater biotic integrity in rural stream sections. A NMDS plot indicated that fish communities at urban sites were more similar to one another than they were to rural site communities; separation between urban and rural sites was largely influenced by species exclusive to urban sites. Reduced biotic integrity and altered fish community composition in urban streams likely resulted from a combination of factors including modified stream habitat and hydrology, warmer water temperatures, and urban runoff. Full article

This study systematically investigated the driving mechanisms and feedback effects of fluoride pollution gradients on fungal communities in water-soil systems, using the Qingshui River basin in Ningxia, China, as a case study. In 2022, 66 sets of samples, each comprising water, sediment, and riparian soil, were collected across three phases (May, July, December). High-throughput sequencing combined with fluoride speciation analysis revealed that fluoride pollution significantly reduced fungal alpha diversity (low-fluoride group > high-fluoride group I > high-fluoride group II), with aquatic habitats exhibiting the most sensitive response. Ascomycota and Chytridiomycota were identified as dominant fluoride-tolerant phyla, and Ascobolus and Cladosporium as representative tolerant genera. Fungi influenced fluoride speciation through mediating mineral weathering and organic matter metabolism; for instance, Humicola promoted fluoride immobilization, while Archaeorhizomyces participated in organic matter-bound fluoride (O.M.-F) metabolism. Fungi in sediments tended to promote the accumulation of residual fixed fluoride (Res-F), whereas those in riparian soils exhibited dual regulatory effects on the release of bioavailable fluoride (Ba-F). This research elucidates the succession patterns of fungal communities under fluoride pollution and their feedback mechanisms on fluoride biogeochemical cycling, offering a theoretical basis for ecological restoration in high-fluoride regions. Full article

Beaver dam–pond systems reshape the hydrology of lowland landscapes by slowing water flow and trapping sediments, thereby reducing the movement of pollutants. This study examined how such beaver-engineered wetlands can naturally filter and signal contamination risks associated with lead (Pb). We combined data from three matrices—bottom sediments, riparian vegetation, and non-invasively collected beaver fur—across three Lithuanian sites (2022–2024). Previously published datasets on plants and sediments were complemented with new information from beaver fur to explore seasonal and age-related effects as well as differences inside and outside dam zones. Lead levels were consistently higher in sediments than in plants, while beaver fur reflected variable, site-specific exposures. These results show that beaver activity contributes to the capture and redistribution of sediment-bound Pb in wetland buffers. The approach demonstrates how beaver habitats can serve as low-cost, nature-based sentinels for pollutant monitoring. Using beaver fur as a non-invasive bioindicator and managing dam stability can improve the ecological and policy relevance of buffer zones. Overall, the findings support the integration of beaver-engineered wetlands into environmental management and EU water policy, contributing to SDG 6 goals for clean water and sustainable wetland use. Full article

The Central Valley of California provides critical wintering habitat for Sandhill Cranes (Antigone canadensis), which rely on wetlands, grasslands, and grain crops to meet their energetic needs. However, temporary row crops that support Sandhill Cranes and other wintering birds are ostensibly being replaced by permanent woody crops, which offer little value for wetland and grassland-dependent species. To better understand how landcover changes may be affecting habitat availability for these wintering cranes, we analyzed landcover trends within priority crane wintering areas from 2008 to 2023. We employed a mixed-methods approach that allowed us to describe both linear and non-linear trends over time and across regions. Our findings indicate a significant decrease in landcover types suitable as crane habitat over the 16-year period ($\tau$ = −0.90, p < 0.001), with an average annual decline of approximately −1.15 ± 0.21% (B± 95% CI). The best-fit trendline showed that habitat suitability in priority wintering areas decreased from over 81% in 2008 to under 65% in 2023. Specifically, grasslands, rice fields, and alfalfa acreage declined across priority wintering areas, while woody landcover—including orchards, vineyards, and riparian forest breaks—increased significantly ($\tau$ = 0.88, p < 0.001; B = 1.14 ± 0.20%). These landscape-level changes may constrain the regional carrying capacity for Sandhill Cranes and reduce their overall resilience. Full article

The Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) is an endangered species in the state of Iowa and a species of conservation concern across their entire range. The Iowa population is characterized by high levels of adult and egg predation, displays little or no annual recruitment, and harbors an extremely low number of juveniles (7.3%). Home range and habitat usage studies of hatchling and juvenile Wood Turtles are limited to a few studies, and only one study of juveniles exists from the state of Iowa. Over a 10 yr period, we conducted a radiotelemetry study in Iowa on seven juvenile wood turtles for 32–182 weeks, and a 6-week study on six head-started hatchlings to determine home range sizes and habitat usage patterns and to provide comparisons with similar studies on adult Wood Turtles. Mean home range sizes of hatchling Wood Turtles were significantly smaller than the mean home range of older juvenile turtles for 100%, 95%, and 50% minimum convex polygons (MCPs), for 95% and 50% kernel density estimators (KDEs), and for linear home range (LHR) and stream home range (SHR). Habitat usage patterns of hatchlings and juveniles also differed. During periods of terrestrial activity, older juveniles utilized grass and forb clearings significantly more frequently than did hatchlings, and hatchlings used riverbank habitat more frequently than did juvenile turtles. In addition, juveniles were, on average, located significantly farther from the stream than were hatchlings. Our study provides important data on the home range size and habitat usage patterns of two under-represented age classes of this endangered species. These data will inform conservation agencies regarding relevant habitat protection and age-class management strategies of riparian areas that are necessary for the continued survival and protection of this imperiled species. Full article

Urbanization imposes complex environmental gradients that threaten plant diversity and urban ecosystem integrity. Understanding the multifactorial drivers that govern species distribution in urban contexts is essential for biodiversity conservation and sustainable landscape planning. This study addresses this challenge by examining the environmental determinants of urban flora in a rapidly developing city. We integrated data from 397 floristic sampling sites and 13 environmental monitoring locations across Düzce, Türkiye. A multidimensional suite of environmental predictors—including microclimatic variables (soil temperature, moisture, light), edaphic properties (pH, EC (Electrical Conductivity), texture, carbonate content), precipitation chemistry (pH and major ions), macroclimatic parameters (CHELSA bioclimatic variables), and spatial metrics (elevation, proximity to urban and natural features)—was analyzed using nonlinear regression models and machine learning algorithms (RF (Random Forest), XGBoost, and SVR (Support Vector Regression)). Shannon diversity exhibited strong variation across land cover types, with the highest values in broad-leaved forests and pastures (>3.0) and lowest in construction and mining zones (<2.3). Species richness and evenness followed similar spatial trends. Evenness peaked in semi-natural habitats such as agricultural and riparian areas (~0.85). Random Forest outperformed other models in predictive accuracy. Elevation was the most influential predictor of Shannon diversity, while proximity to riparian zones best explained richness and evenness. Chloride concentrations in rainfall were also linked to species composition. When the models were recalibrated using only native species, they exhibited consistent patterns and maintained high predictive performance (Shannon R² ≈ 0.937474; Richness R² ≈ 0.855305; Evenness R² ≈ 0.631796). Full article

For lotic salmonids, pool habitats are critical to persistence and resilience. In the central Appalachians, brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis Mitchill 1814) is an imperiled species that relies on pool habitats for refuge during drought and for spawning. We sought to study trends in pool habitats by studying habitat distribution and trends in 25 headwater systems over 18 years. Our analysis documented a significant decreasing trend in critical pool habitat (p = 0.006) and a significant increase in distance between these pools (p = 0.001) since 2003. Natural recruitment of large wood from second-growth riparian areas appears to be slower than losses. However, large wood recruitment from Superstorm Sandy in 2012, at least temporarily stabilized pool numbers. While salmonid populations can be highly resilient, disturbances can create unstable habitat conditions. These conditions could become more probable with projected alteration of flow regime due to climate change. These results highlight the need to further understand the potential impacts acute disturbances like drought, floods, debris flows, and other formidable events could have on temporal habitat availability. Full article